Best Canadian Sweet Festivals 2025

We’ve been to all sorts of events across Canada, but there’s something about sweet festivals that keeps us coming back. Maybe it’s the way a simple butter tart can make a chilly day feel cozy or how a warm drink at a latte festival brings strangers together. Here’s our look at some of the best sweet festivals happening every year – the ones we think are worth a visit if you’re in the mood for something tasty.

Our Festival Picks:

Best for families: Harvest Treats + Treasures
Best for classic Canadian sweets: Stratford Buttertart and Dessert Fest
Best for cozy winter vibes: Sweet Treats & Latte Festival
Best for big city variety: Sweet City Fest
Best for global sweets: The Dessert Bazaar Festival

Sweet City Fest

Time: Mid-February

Location: Stackt Market, Toronto, ON

Sweet City Fest runs for 13 days at Stackt Market, covering Valentine’s Day and Family Day weekend. The festival is free, which explains why it gets busy on weekends.

You’ll find about 10 vendors selling everything from artisan chocolates to bubble tea. The chocolate-making workshop on February 19th fills up fast – you learn the basics while making your own treats. They’ve set up photo spots like a “Tunnel of Love” and a giant light cube that people seem to enjoy for Instagram.

Live music happens most days, and the closing celebration includes local artists and DJs. The Speakeasy Whiskey Bar does a special Valentine’s dinner if you want something fancier than festival food.

Since this sweet festival in Toronto is open 24/7, you can grab coffee and pastries in the morning or satisfy late-night cravings. Just expect crowds during peak hours, especially on weekends.

Sweet Treats & Latte Festival

Time: Early to mid-February

Location: Old Strathcona, Edmonton, AB

This festival turns 30 businesses across Old Strathcona into one big dessert crawl. Each place offers special menu items – could be a unique latte, a seasonal pastry, or both.

The stamp card system works well. Buy featured items, collect stamps, and enter contests. Five stamps get you in the running for $100 gift cards to local businesses. Ten stamps qualify you for staycation packages worth about $400.

The participating spots range from traditional coffee shops to bubble tea places to a pet store selling dog treats. Most mark their allergen-friendly options clearly, which helps if you’re dealing with dietary restrictions.

People post photos with #SweetTreatsYEG for additional prize chances. Last year, they gave away over $1,500 in prizes, so the contests are real.

The festival works because it sends people to businesses they might not normally try. You end up discovering new places while the shops get customers during their slow season.

Sweetery (Closed)

Time: Last happened in 2019

Location: David Pecaut Square, Toronto, ON

Sweetery was a huge food festival in Toronto, set up in the David Pecaut Square market every August. Back in 2019, they said it drew around 50,000 visitors in just two days. It was a chance to see and taste everything sweet, from fancy pastries to new dessert ideas.

The festival partnered with George Brown College’s pastry program so visitors could watch students present their final creations. MasterChef Canada contestants also joined in, showing off their baking skills. Kids and adults loved the interactive games, which raised money for Second Harvest, a food rescue group.

The festival had family-friendly outdoor movie nights, too, playing films like Aladdin and Lego Batman on the big lawn.

When COVID-19 stopped big events, Sweetery switched to “Sweetery Boxes” – a box of treats from local vendors sent right to your home. Each box also funded 10 meals for people in need.

Even though Sweetery hasn’t come back since 2020, it showed that big sweet festivals can work in Canada when there’s good food, good causes, and a great atmosphere.

Stratford Buttertart and Dessert Fest

Time: Mid-October

Location: Stratford Rotary Complex, Stratford, ON

At $6 admission (free for kids under 10), this festival focuses specifically on butter tarts and related desserts. It’s part of a circuit that includes other Ontario towns like Elmira.

The single-day format works for Stratford since the city already has tourism infrastructure from the Shakespeare Festival. Visitors can make a weekend of it.

October timing catches people looking for fall activities. Butter tarts are basically comfort food, so the seasonal match makes sense.

The festival runs 10 AM to 4 PM, giving you enough time to sample different vendors without feeling rushed. Six hours is plenty for what’s essentially a focused tasting event.

Harvest Treats + Treasures

Time: Early October

Location: Milton Community Sports Park, Milton, ON

This festival combines dessert vendors with a general fall market – over 100 vendors selling everything from treats to crafts to seasonal decorations. Admission is $5, free for kids under 14.

The mix works because it gives families multiple reasons to attend. Kids can play in the designated zone while adults browse vendors or grab food from trucks.

Milton Community Sports Park has good facilities and parking, which matters when you’re dealing with 100+ vendors and family crowds.

Food trucks supplement the dessert vendors, so you can get lunch and desserts in one place. Live entertainment keeps people around longer, which vendors appreciate.

The Dessert Bazaar Festival

Time: Mid-July

Location: CF Richmond Centre, Richmond, BC

This three-day festival happens inside CF Richmond Centre mall, featuring desserts from around the world. The indoor setting means weather isn’t a factor.

Tickets start around $550, which puts it in a completely different category from community festivals. That pricing suggests either a premium all-inclusive experience or a trade/professional event rather than family entertainment.

The mall location provides built-in amenities – parking, bathrooms, and climate control. Regular mall shoppers might discover the festival by accident.

July timing fills a gap since most Canadian sweet festivals happen in fall and winter. BC gets enough summer tourism to support this kind of event.

Need More Info?

If you’re thinking about visiting one of these festivals or want to see what else they have planned, here’s where you can get the details straight from the source:

Click on the links to see what’s on the schedule, check for updates, or just get a feel for the event vibe.

Note: We’re not affiliated with any of the festivals mentioned here. We’ve simply visited, researched, and shared our own insights and observations to help others discover what’s happening across Canada’s sweet festival scene.